


Who You Love

by heyitscmei



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: First Dates, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Misunderstandings, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Oblivious Shiro (Voltron), Pining Shiro (Voltron), Sort Of, i feel more justified knowing that thats a tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-07 13:16:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19085803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyitscmei/pseuds/heyitscmei
Summary: When Shiro overhears Keith turning down a confession, he decides to give Keith the push he needs to confess to this mysterious crush of his, even if it breaks his heart.





	Who You Love

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally a thread I posted to twitter which ended up being over 2000 words so i decided to edit it and change some things and turn it into a fic
> 
> enjoy!

Shiro hears the confession entirely by accident, walking down one of the more secluded hallways in order to find some peace and quiet to think. He doesn’t mean to eavesdrop, should leave now, but his feet remain glued to the spot, feeling his stomach drop when he hears the other voice. As it turns out, the voice of the one receiving the confession is a familiar one. **  
**

“I’m . . . flattered,” Keith says, stilted, and Shiro can’t properly see his face as he peers discreetly around the corner. Keith is mostly facing away from him, but he can just barely see a hint of a blush high on Keith's cheeks. Shiro fights hard not feel endeared, it’s hardly any time to get lost in how hopelessly cute Keith is when he’s flustered when the one confessing to Keith looks up at him with so much hope in his eyes

“I’m sorry.” Keith says, gentle, and Shiro lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“It’s just . . . there’s someone else” Shiro sympathizes with the confessor for a moment before his mind screeches to a halt. Someone else?

Shiro feels his heart drop.

He hadn’t known that Keith felt that way about anybody. He wonders why he never noticed in spite of being Keith’s best friend. He wonders why Keith never told him.

Still, he built his relationship with Keith on relentless support and he isn’t about to stop now, not for anything, not even his own feelings. Keith deserves to be happy, even if its not with Shiro, so he’ll do whatever it takes to help Keith take that step, no matter how much it hurts. Frankly, Shiro is baffled by the idea that Keith hasn’t told his apparent crush how he feels yet, as if anyone wouldn’t be absolutely lucky to be loved by Keith.

Shiro has experienced that devotion first hand, knows that Keith would be the most loyal of lovers if one let him. He knows that Keith is selfless and steadfastly supportive.

Shiro stifles a pang of jealousy.

if Keith needs encouragement, the least he could do is give it to Keith, but not here. Not now. Not in these halls where anyone could find them.

Keith doesn’t typically air these things out for everyone to hear and Shiro doesn’t want to make a spectacle of himself and his sinking heart either.

He opts for something private, something natural. He invites Keith to race their bikes out in the desert like they always do when they want to be alone, away from prying eyes and nosy friends.

The roles of The Captain of the Atlas and The Leader of Voltron are ones that, evidently, afford little privacy.

They’ll drive out into the middle of nowhere and sit by the cliffs and . . . and Shiro will give Keith that boost he needs to seize that little piece of happiness that he so clearly deserves.

 

On the day of their outing, Keith is eager and bright, straddling his bike in a way that is utterly life ruining.

it would be so easy to imagine those long legs stretched out in other circumstances.

“You coming? Or are you that eager to be eating in my dust?”

Shiro shakes himself out of his reverie to stare up at Keith's smug face and manages a smile.

“We’ll see whos eating whose dust.”

he mounts his own bike and they're off.

Keith laughs as he pulls ahead of Shiro, hair whipping in the wind, the glow of the sun bathing him in golden light.

He’s the most beautiful thing Shiro has ever seen

He hopes that even after Keith starts dating, even after Keith’s normally undivided attention is split, that they’ll still have this.

He’ll still get to feel this rush as their bikes dance through the sand, feel the adrenaline course through him as Keith goes over the cliff and Shiro follows right after and they're falling, falling . . .

He’s fallen, so hard.

They sit in the sand, heedless of the fact that they’ll be cleaning it off themselves for days, dust settling as they make themselves comfortable..

Shiros content to just bask in the warmth of the sun and Keith's presence, listening to nothing but the sounds of their own breathing

It feels so nice, just existing in the middle of nowhere, just them.

Unfortunately, Shiro can’t pretend any longer that they aren’t out here for a reason.

He turns to Keith, almost startled to find that Keith's already looking at him, his lips curling into a soft smile. Shiro looks away. He doesn’t think he can stop himself from saying the wrong things if Keith keeps smiling at him like that.

“So someone confessed to you,” Shiro says, abrupt, because Shiro is clearly the king of subtlety. Well, there’s no use in tiptoeing around anyway, he supposes.

Keith flushes.

“You heard about that?”

“Ah. Well. You know how people like to talk.” Keith doesn’t know, Keith’s never paid much attention to the rumour mill. He knows that Keith knows that Shiro doesn’t either, but he doesn’t call him on it. Still, it’s almost unbearably awkward.

“So . . . how did it go?” As if he doesn’t already know. As if he wasn’t standing around the corner when it happened.

As if ‘there’s someone else’ hasn’t stopped echoing in his mind since.

Keith shrugs. “I turned them down”

“Got your eye on someone?” Shiro prods, trying to aim for casual teasing.

He hopes Keith doesn’t notice how spectacularly he missed the mark.

“Guess I do,” Keith says, smiling softly.

And Shiro already knew.

He already knew that.

It still sends a wave of pain over him.

“So . . . why haven’t you said anything to them?”

Keith hums.

“I don’t think he sees me the same way.”

Keith smiles at him as he says it, as if he’s resigned himself to it, as if he’s made peace with the idea that he will never be loved the same way. Shiro can bear that even less than his own heartbreak

“Keith,” he breathes.

“It’s okay, Shiro.”

It doesn’t feel like it should be okay, he thinks.

Instead he says “anybody would be lucky to have you.”

It’s the most honest he’s been about his feelings for Keith and he hopes that Keith cant see the emotion simmering beneath the surface.

Keith huffs, fond, knocking against Shiro’s side.

“Thanks, Shiro.”

“i mean it!” Shiro says, nudging him back “i think you should give yourself a shot.”

“Really?”

Shiro looks into Keith's eyes, those gorgeous eyes, and he swallows his heart.

“Yeah. Really.”

Keith looks at him for a moment longer, as if searching his face, and then smiles.

“Maybe I will.”

It would be so simple to lean into Keith's space, close enough to trade breaths. To kiss Keith under the sun miles away from titles and duties and obligations

just Shiro and Keith, two hoverbikes and sand all around them and it would be perfect.

 

They race back and Shiro finds himself chasing after Keith the whole way.

 

Shiro spends the next few days reminding himself he did the right thing.

Thinking about Keith going to confess to his crush is torture so he throws himself into work, tries to learn to cook, does anything that will take his mind off of the image of Keith holding someone else’s hand.

He has to move on because one day Keith will introduce him and Shiro is not going to be the best friend that ruins things because he can’t act normal around The Boyfriend.

He’s gotten over relationships before, he can get over a crush, no problem.

 

He isn’t sure why he’s surprised when only a few days later Keith drops by his room with what seems like an update.

“Wanna grab dinner?” Keith asks, standing there in Shiro’s doorway. He looks good, but he always looks good. More importantly, he looks excited, which means he must have gone for it and it must have gone well.

While the doorway is certainly no place to have any proper conversation, Shiro doesn’t see why Keith can’t just come in and tell him all about it. Still, he isn’t about to turn down dinner and he isn’t about to turn down Keith.

He musters up his enthusiasm and smiles.

“Let’s do it.”

 

Shiro’s not expecting anything fancy and it isn’t, not really, but it’s nicer than squeezing into the booths of the diner in town that had become familiar to them.

A good change of pace, Shiro supposes.

“Hunk recommended it to me,” Keith says, almost sheepish, as they're seated. Hunk does always tells them that it’s good to expand their horizons.

“Hunk wouldn’t lead us astray.”

 

The waiter who comes to take and serve their order is a friendly looking alien with six arms, navigating between tables with grace, easily balancing plates and drinks and trays.

“This is nice” Shiro says as they tuck into their meals. And it is. The restaurant is a nice fusion between earth and alien cuisine and Shiro is impressed by how well they’ve made it work.

Keith hums, swallowing down a mouthful of food.

“I thought about what you said,” Keith says.

This is it, Shiro knows.

This is where Keith tells him about how it went, maybe who it is, even.

This is where Shiro bites back his heartache and tells Keith he’s happy for him, tells Keith to introduce him sometime.

“I’ve never done this before,” Keith says, nervous.

“You're fine, Keith,” Shiro reassures. Keith doesn’t have to be nervous about sharing anything with Shiro, not even his first relationship, no matter who it’s with.

He’ll support him no matter what. It’s what friends are for.

Keith reaches across the table and it only takes a moment before Shiro realizes what Keith's asking. Slightly confused, he puts down the cutlery and reaches out as well. He wonders if Keith needs the reassurance that badly, but he’s always been tactile with Keith, it’s not a problem. He takes Keith's hand.

“Shiro, I . . .”

Shiro smiles, encouraging as Keith pauses, brow furrowing as he thinks over his words

“You're really important to me,” Keith eventually continues, “and I can’t imagine a universe without you. I love you.”

Shiro thinks back to the fight, surrounded by rows upon rows of clones he knows Keith loves him. Loves him like a brother.

Surely, this is just the preface, so he waits.

And keeps waiting.

And the silence draws out.

“Shiro?”

After another moment, it’s clear Keith has said his piece, but it doesn’t make any sense. There’s no point in Keith telling him all these things unless . . .

“Wait,” Shiro says, feeling like an idiot as he reassesses the entire night. “You love me?”

“Yes?” Keith looks confused now too.

In the seconds that Shiro feels his brain reboot itself, Keith pulls back his hand, face falling.

“Oh god, I'm sorry—I thought—I thought you were encouraging me to confess to you,” Keith says, face aflame.

Shiros never seen Keith stutter in his life.

“I should go.” Keith makes to stand and Shiro’s never seen him run from anything either.

It’s then that Shiro realizes that he still hasn’t given Keith an answer, lost in his doubts and thoughts and disbelief.

He reaches out to grasp Keith's wrist before he can go.

“Stay,” he blurts out. “Please stay.”

Because he can’t let Keith go, can’t let him walk away thinking that Shiro doesn’t love him just the same.

Keith almost reluctantly sinks back into his seat.

“I’m sorry” he starts. It’s when Keith flinches back ever so slightly that he realizes how it sounds.

“Shiro, it’s okay”

“no, Keith, listen,” Shiro pleads. “I'm sorry that I made you think for a second that I don’t love you too.”

Then, for a moment, Keith is the one left staring and Shiro regrets making Keith experience this uncertainty, his heart beating hard as Keith processes his own confession.

“Really?” Keith asks, finally, and Shiro supposes he can’t judge the way Keith might doubt him.

“Cross my heart and hope to die” Shiro swears.

“Don’t you ever die on me again” Keith says.

“Yes, Sir” Shiro says, and tries for a smile.

He reaches across the table this time, palm up, and feels something in his stomach flutter when Keith's hand slips into his. It’s warm in his grip through the leather of his gloves. Shiro rubs his thumb over Keith’s knuckles.

“I’m sorry,” Shiro says again. “I was surprised.”

“Surprised? Why?”

“I didn’t think you liked me like that,” Shiro confesses.

That, at least, gets Keith to laugh. Shiro feels warmth wash over him at the sound.

“I thought you figured it out,” Keith says. “Pidge told me that anybody with eyes could tell, even when they're closed.”

Shiro shakes his head, thinking back on the past few days.

“I really thought that you’d fallen for some mysterious person I'd never met. I was heartbroken.” Shiro laughs. It feels so ridiculous now.

Keith's smile softens “Shiro, it’s always been you. You're it for me, there’s nobody else.”

“Nobody?” Shiro asks. Keith's squeezes his hand.

“Nobody” Keith insists. “When you brought it up, I thought I’d been caught. But then you were telling me to go for it so I thought you were telling me to ask you out already.”

“You thought I was challenging you to ask me out?”

Keith blushes and he’s so cute.

“Well, it worked out in the end” Shiro says, smiling now too.  “God, I love you.”

And it feels so good to see it, to say it

“I love you” he says back, and at this rate, that’s all they're going to do tonight

Shiro thinks he’d be okay with that, to watch Keith’s lips form around the words, to watch Keith smile when Shiro says it back.

They’ve missed enough time as it is.

 

Their food is getting cold by the time they finally get back to eating their meals. Keith insists on covering the bill, but Shiro manages to convinces him to allow him to cover half.

And then they're stepping out into fresh air and it feels good, feels better than when he walked in carrying the heavy weight of heartbreak. Now, walking out with Keith, holding his small hand, fingers intertwined, he feels weightless.

When he clambers onto the back of Keith's hoverbike on their way back, he holds onto Keith and marvels at the fact that he can touch Keith and never again have to tell himself that he’s out of reach, doesn’t have to pretend or imagine any what-ifs anymore.

He walks Keith to his room and Keith leans into his space and for once, Shiro thinks he’s finally reading the signs right.

He reaches for Keith and meets him.

There are no fireworks, but Shiro is still almost giddy at the feeling of it, of getting to kiss Keith after wanting to for so long, wanting him for so long.

“I love you,” he murmurs, just to say it.

Just because he can.

“Stay?” Keith asks, still pressed close.

“Always.”

He drops another kiss to Keith's lips and lets himself be led into the room.

**Author's Note:**

> come yell with me about my two favourite idiots on [twitter](https://twitter.com/heyitscmei)!


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